Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Nafi Thiam Face Off in Rome

Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Olympic heptathlon champion Nafi Thiam will renew their rivalry at the European Athletics Championships in Rome, ahead of their anticipated clash for gold at Paris 2024. Johnson-Thompson, 31, seeks her first Olympic medal after winning the world championship for the second time in Budapest last year. Meanwhile, Belgium’s Thiam aims for her third consecutive European title before targeting another hat-trick at the Olympics, following her successes in Rio and Tokyo.

As Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Thiam prepare to face off in Rome, both athletes eagerly anticipate demonstrating their prowess before the highly anticipated showdown in Paris. Johnson-Thompson emphasizes her motivation coming off the back of last year’s triumph and looks forward to delivering a strong performance. The British team, boasting talents like Keely Hodgkinson and Molly Caudery is ready to compete at the highest level, with live coverage available on BBC platforms.

In the men’s events, Norwegian stars Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Karsten Warholm aim for further success, while Dutch athlete Femke Bol seeks to defend her women’s 400m hurdles title. Italian sprinter Lamont Marcell Jacobs hopes to impress ahead of the Olympics while Sandra Perkovic of Croatia eyes a record-breaking seventh successive European discus title. BBC Sport provides comprehensive coverage of the championships, showcasing the continent’s best athletes in action.